Spain’s Former Prime Minister Zapatero Placed Under Formal Corruption Investigation
Spain’s National High Court placed former Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero under formal investigation for alleged influence peddling and related crimes on Tuesday. Zapatero’s office in Madrid was searched alongside three other premises, and he has been summoned to testify on June 2. The investigation is part of the so-called Plus Ultra case, linked to a state rescue worth 53 million euros in 2021 of the domestic airline Plus Ultra through state holding company SEPI during the COVID-19 pandemic. BusinessWorld + 2
This is the first time in Spain’s modern democratic history that a former prime minister has been placed under formal investigation. While previous prime ministers have been called to testify in corruption proceedings, none had been formally designated as a suspect before Tuesday’s ruling. France 24
Judge José Luis Calama, the investigating magistrate at Spain’s National Court, is examining suspected money laundering and influence peddling tied to the rescue. He has also ordered searches of several companies and has lifted the secrecy order on the case file. Brussels Signal
Zapatero is alleged to have been the driving force behind the airline’s bailout and is accused of pressing the Ministry of Transport, then led by José Luis Abalos, to approve the rescue. Suspicion also centres on a company called Análisis Relevante, owned by a businessman known as Julito, which allegedly received the same amount Plus Ultra later paid to Zapatero. Víctor de Aldama, a Spanish businessman involved in other corruption probes, has alleged Zapatero received 10 million euros in commissions. Al JazeeraAl Jazeera
Investigators have traced payments to Zapatero and to firms linked to his family. A close friend of the former prime minister, Julio Martínez, is alleged to have received money from Plus Ultra and to have later paid Zapatero through Análisis Relevante. The firm paid Zapatero around 70,000 euros a year for consultancy work and also hired two of his daughters. Brussels Signal
Zapatero told a Senate inquiry he had produced “oral and written reports” for the firm, though he declined to detail their content. He has rejected claims that he mediated in the rescue and described the accusations as a campaign to discredit him. Brussels Signal
The Socialist Party defended Zapatero and suggested the probe was politically motivated. “The right and far right have never forgiven him for these advances,” the party said in a statement, referring to social reforms Zapatero enacted during his time in office, including the legalisation of same-sex marriage. France 24
The main opposition conservative Popular Party said Zapatero was Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s “muse,” adding the two were linked by corruption. “Both used their families to enrich themselves and both degraded the institutions they represented,” the party said in a statement. France 24
Juanma Moreno, the president of the Andalusian regional government, addressed the milestone of the investigation in comments to the newspaper El País. “There has never been a serious investigation process, much less an indictment of a former president,” Moreno said. Al Jazeera
Pressure on Sánchez
Zapatero is a key ally of current Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, and the case adds further pressure on Sánchez, who is already dogged by a corruption investigation into alleged kickbacks involving key members of his inner circle, as well as probes involving his wife and his brother. BusinessWorld
Sánchez’s brother David is scheduled to stand trial for influence peddling, while his wife, Begoña Gómez, is under investigation in a separate corruption case. The prime minister has dismissed these cases against his family as politically motivated. Sánchez’s former right-hand man, former transport minister José Luis Ábalos, is awaiting a verdict in his own corruption trial, which wrapped up earlier this month. France 24
The Plus Ultra Case
The bailout remained politically controversial because critics questioned both Plus Ultra’s financial viability and the company’s ownership links to Venezuelan businessmen seen as close to the government of then-President Nicolás Maduro, raising concerns about transparency and possible political influence. Al Jazeera
Zapatero began acting as a mediator in the Venezuelan crisis in 2014, with the backing of the South American bloc UNASUR, and became a frequent visitor to Caracas. He met the jailed opposition figure Leopoldo López, served as an election observer from 2015, and returned as an observer at votes the opposition and Western governments rejected as neither free nor fair. Opposition leaders, including María Corina Machado and Juan Guaidó, accused him of favouring the Maduro government rather than acting as a neutral broker. Brussels Signal
The probe is examining whether Zapatero used his political influence to secure the multi-million euro rescue package for Plus Ultra in exchange for illegal commissions and ties to Venezuelan funds. The court is also examining whether the aid was properly approved and whether any improper lobbying or influence was involved. Olive Press News SpainAl Jazeera
Background
Zapatero led Spain between 2004 and 2011, winning two absolute parliamentary majorities. He was not initially closely aligned with Sánchez but became one of his most prominent public defenders in recent years. The case escalated in late December after several arrests, including businessman Julio Martínez Martínez, known as Julito, who is considered key to understanding the links between Plus Ultra and Zapatero. The Plus Ultra airline received its 53 million euro state rescue through the SEPI holding company during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021. BusinessWorldAl Jazeera
What Happens Next
Zapatero is required to appear before investigating magistrate Judge Calama on June 2 as a formal suspect. Calama has ordered searches of the former prime minister’s office and several companies, and has lifted the secrecy order on the case file, meaning further details of the investigation will now be accessible. Sánchez’s former transport minister José Luis Ábalos is separately awaiting a verdict in his own corruption trial. The cases are expected to intensify scrutiny of the ruling Socialist Party ahead of any future electoral cycle. Brussels Signal
